


Out of the water, I am nothing

by Kohako_Shadow (bi_nocturnal_g)



Series: Wipe Out Love [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Steve, Pre-Slash, Sassy Danny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-29
Updated: 2015-04-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 09:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3845053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_nocturnal_g/pseuds/Kohako_Shadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve faces some truth about himself while Danny drives him around the bend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the water, I am nothing

**Author's Note:**

> Just one more installment after this one and then I'll close this series.

  
It’s his Monkey that finally pulls him out of his misery and as he listens to Grace recounting her day to him he can’t help but smile as he climbs slowly to his feet. At least he still has Grace. It’s enough for him he tells himself. Danny ignores the twinge in his heart and traces his steps back to Aliʻiōlani Hale, but it’s there at the back of his mind, slowly becoming stronger by the moment until he imagines the stinging pain forming a gaping hole inside his chest.   
  
The sun goes down by the time Danny reaches the parking lot of HQ and climbs into his car. He doesn’t remember the drive over to his apartment, only remembers the springs digging into his back as he collapses back onto his couch, eyes contemplatively staring at his ceiling.   
  
Danny doesn’t even notice he has fallen asleep until he wakes up the following morning with a start, the insistent beeping of his alarm clock irritating the hell out of him and making him slam it against the wall, over and over again in anger, until the beeping dies out and allowing him to fall back in exhaustion. There’s a part of him that doesn’t want to wake up and get up, because that would mean facing Steve, but Momma Williams didn’t raise a coward so eventually he sucks it up and jumps out of the bed.  
  
The cold shower doesn’t help to refresh him because he still looks like shit as he peers with gritty red eyes at his reflection, but there’s nothing to be done, and after yesterday he feels entitled with looking not up to par today. He looks at the clock, sighs out loud, and decides to forgo his tie and breakfast in favor of not being late for work, slamming the door hard on his way out.    
  
He hasn’t set one foot in the door of HQ before Steve’s already dragging him out of the door and shepherds him into the car as his partner reads him in on their current case. Danny forces himself to get with the program and focuses hard on Steve’s words, but images from last night trickle through. He eyes his partner at the corner of his eyes then grits his teeth at Steve, because the bastard doesn’t even look ruffled or disturbed after yesterday.   
  
They’re halfway into the case before Danny realizes that Steve is being true to his word and acting like nothing has happened between them. Danny can see that Steve is just pretending and doing a bad job of it too because every time Danny so much as licks his mouth, moves in his seat or waves his hands about, Steve tracks his every actions like a wolf stalking his prey. Confronting Steve doesn’t help much except give Danny a headache and when his partner denies ogling Danny for the umpteenth time, he finally has enough. “ **Fuck you, Commander** ,” he bites out.   
  
Danny takes extreme pleasure in watching his boss’s eyes flash in anger before a blank look settles on Steve’s face. God, he hates it when Steve does that. It makes it that much harder for Danny to reach him.    
  
‘ _So that’s how it’s going to be_ ,’ Danny thinks. ‘ _Well two can play that game_.’   
  
For the next couple of days Danny has a great time amusing himself with driving Steve insane by adding a little bit more “oomph” to his swagger. The thrills that race up and down his spine, whenever Steve’s smouldering eyes follow him, never fail to excite him. He makes sure he’s always in front of Steve, sashaying his ass around, and to spill all kinds of fluids down his clothes at least once a day in Steve’s vicinity, so that in true McGarrett fashion he can rip his buttoned down shirt, acting all apologetic and innocent like, off his body. The first time it happened, Kono laughed herself sick as Steve choked on his gulp of coffee. It is starting to put a dent to his pocket every time he does it, but worth it for the boggled eyed look on Steve.   
  
If Steve thought he was safe from Danny when they’re out in the field, he’s dead wrong. Danny makes sure to be as comforting as possible to witnesses, deepening his accent and having a ready smile at hand. He charms suspects in a fall sense of security by acting like their buddy and generally being the complete opposite of Steve McGarrett. It’s no hardship for Danny to act as friendly and cooperative to the HPD agents assisting them from time to time, as they prefer him over his surly boss, much to the consternation of said boss.   
  
The only time Danny leaves him alone is when they’re in the car, and even that isn’t saying much as the Jersey boy proceeds to ignore Steve the moment he climbs into the Camaro, sprawling as provocatively as he can in the small passenger seat, sexy grin in place and a hand resting too close to his groin for Steve’s comfort, knowing he’s driving his partner bat shit. After he almost drove them into a ditch when he looked sideways toward Danny and saw him in that position, Steve’s been driving his own truck to work. His sanity agrees with him.  
  
Steve is slowly going out of his mind as Danny follows him around every minute of the day. Kono is being a complete menace by winking at him every time he sees her. Chin isn’t helping, rolling his eyes at their antics and ignoring everyone to escape in his world of electronics when they’re not on a case.  The sad thing is that Steve knows what Danny is doing. And there are times that he wants to give in, but then he remembers Danny, wet and slippery and light with happiness, and he’s back to square one. This isn’t just a simple case of jealousy now. It’s the principle of things.  
  
There’s no denying that Steve is proud of Danny skills on the water. Steve admits he’s amazing on the water. It’s the fact that Danny didn’t go to him for surfing lessons that’s hard to swallow; makes it hard for Steve to let go of his anger. It was both a slap to his face and a wonderful moment when he found out about Danno’s secret.  
  
That’s not how he imagined finding out about Danny’s surfing. There shouldn’t have to be secrets between them and he knows how hypocrite it is of him to even think that, considering his classified service records but they’re supposed to be partners; both having each others back, trusting each other completely and without fail to do their job. And that’s the crux of his anger. Danny didn’t trust Steve enough to teach him a simple thing like surfing and that hurts. Steve didn’t think it could hurt this bad, but it does. He wears the hurt like a cloak, his anger brittle and sharp. And he knows that he’s hurting Danny just as much as himself, but he can’t seem to stop.  
  
It doesn’t help that he knows that Danny is still taking lessons from this mysterious person. He has half a mind to spy on Danny, but he chickens out whenever the notion hits him. It’s pathetic really how one blue-eyed Detective from the Mainland has reduced him into this vulnerable, bundle of nerves.  
  
It takes exactly one week, six hours and twenty minutes until Kono has had enough of the both of them. It’s fun and amusing after the first couple of days, but it soon gets old seeing your bad ass boss hide out in the ladies room, again, because it’s the only place Danny doesn’t think to look when he’s lost sight of Steve. It’s clearly that something happened between her boss and favorite hāole but since Danny is tight-lipped about it and she doesn’t have the time to decode Chin’s cryptic messages, Kono has no choice but to bite the bullet and get it out of the boss himself. Surprisingly it’s easy, once she corners him in his office.  
  
He’s nice and all smiles when she invites him out on a surf date. It’s Saturday the next day and she knows how relaxed surfing makes him. Kono thinks she’s home free but then she mentions inviting Danny along and Steve is off, exploding into her face.  
  
“ _Seriously_ , does everyone know about it, except me?” Steve shouts, irked at the familiarity in Kono’s voice as she talks about Danny and his surfing.  
  
“Wow, Brah, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Kono says surprised, hands outstretched in front of her.  
  
“You’re the boss, you can say no, you know.”   
  
‘Nice going McGarrett' , Steve thinks.  
  
Steve tries again. “I meant about the surfing.”  
  
Kono grins at him, oblivious of the bitter tone in Steve’s voice. “He showed you? He’s great, right? You should’ve seen him on his first try. It took me ages to coax him into the water, let alone teach him about the basics on sand. Looking at him now, no one would believe he’s only got a couple of weeks of practice under his belt. He looks so natural, riding the waves like he was born to do it.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Steve’s ears are ringing; he must’ve heard it wrong. Kono is off on a tangent, oblivious of Steve’s frantic look, as she keeps waxing about Danny’s amazing surfing abilities. “You’re Danny’s teacher?” Steve yelps incredulously.  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Kono says indignantly, hands planted at her hips, “Who’d you expect it to be?” she asks darkly. “Just because I have a bad knee, and not competing anymore, that doesn’t mean I don’t have what it takes to be a surf teacher. I’m a great teacher. Ask anyone. Ask Danny.”   
  
“No, wait Kono. I’m sorry.”  
  
Steve placates her with an apology, backing away, mindful of Kono’s arms flailing around in indignation. She looks so much like Danny right now, Steve’s heart hurts.  
  
“I caught him by mistake. And my reaction…left much to be desired.” Steve admits shamefully. “I was, I am still pissed off that Danny kept this from me. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a sight to see. I just don’t understand why he didn’t go to me.”    
  
“He’s allowed to have some secrets, you know.”   
  
“I know that.”  
  
Kono softly laughs at his puppy dog expression, before asking, “Do you?” Kono suddenly fixes him with a stare, cool and calculated, all amusement gone. “Do you know why he kept it a secret?”  
  
Steve shakes his head, because for the life of him, he doesn’t know.  
  
"He asked for my help, to teach him about surfing, because he didn’t want to embarrass himself when you’d finally convince him to get on a surf board. He didn’t want to lose face.”  
  
“Kono…”  
  
“Steve, the man thinks the world of you.”  
  
Steve feels ten kinds of fool right now, wishing the ground would swallow him up. God what must Danny think of him, he wonders. He’s been acting so petty, only thinking about himself and letting his anger rule him. Looking back, he realizes that he’s never given Danny the chance to explain things and now it might be too late. He might be too late. Steve knows that he needs to set things straight between them.  
  
Kono is still rambling on about Danny’s surfing lessons, but he just tunes her out. He needs to get out of here and find Danny and even though Steve is mortified with the thought of confronting Danny about his callous behavior concerning that day and his deplorable action afterwards, he needs to do it. He had to make it right.  
  
Steve grabs Kono, his arms encircling around her frame to hug her in gratitude. His actions are so unexpected, it shocks Kono into silence. She feels kind of awkward, when she forces the next couple of words out, but it needed to be said.  
  
"Don’t hurt him.”   
  
Steve ruffles Kono’s tresses, ignoring the sudden yelp and dodging the swat at his hand. He grins, warmed by the protective streak of his rookie.  
  
“Don’t worry Kono; you have my express permission to kick my ass if that happens.”  
  
And with those last words Steve waves Kono goodbye and walks out the door, determination lengthening his stride. His parents never taught him to be a coward, so he’s determined to face up to the fact he’s acted like a complete bastard to Danny.  
  
That doesn’t stop him from hesitating when he reaches Danny’s apartment once he gets there. Steve eventually knocks plaintively against the door, then louder and harder, even adding his voice to the mix after there is no response until a little old biddy screams at him to stop.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Steve apologizes as he heads back toward his truck.  
  
He leans dejectedly against his truck before he decides to head to the nearest beach. Unfortunately Danny isn’t there either nor is his car in front of Gracie’s house. Steve stares forlornly at the gates of the Edwards’s before sighing with resignation.  
  
“Cath? I need your help.”


End file.
